Nigerians protest in Goa after the killing of Nigerian national Obodo Simon
There aren't enough senior police officers to protect the residents of Goa, claims Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar, amid new controversy of gang wars and drug trafficking, with Nigerian claiming its citizens are being unfairly targeted.
The BJP government in Goa was elected in March last year. The Chief Minister says it's being given "step-motherly treatment" by the Centre.
In a letter written to Home Minister Sushil Kumar Shinde on Friday, Mr Parrikar has said that the Centre will be "held responsible for any consequences arising out of failure of police machinery as a result of non-filling up of senior positions despite our repeated requests."
Mr Parrikar has also blamed the Centre for creating a diplomatic flash point with Nigeria by failing to "properly brief" its diplomats.
Last month, a Nigerian was murdered in Mapusa. The next morning, a group of 200 Nigerians rioted on a major highway in the state and allegedly assaulted policemen and residents.
The chief minister responded by ordering an eviction drive of Nigerians who are illegal residents of Goa. Nigerian diplomats said even those citizens with valid visas were being thrown out of their homes. A minister in Mr Parrikar's government compared Nigerians to cancer, then apologised.
"The recent episode of Nigerians indulging in riotous and violent behaviour... has exposed the chinks in the police machinery," Mr Parrikar has said in his letter to New Delhi.
The chief minister also writes in his letter to Delhi that the state's top police officer, the Director General of Police, is "unwell" and is "not able to fully devote himself to work." In August, the Goa government had asked for him to be replaced; it has allegedly received no response.
Pointing out that Goa is an international tourist destination and hence a soft target for terrorists, the chief minister has said that senior police vacancies must be filled urgently.